Researched by the Ignaria Editorial Team · Published 2026-03-12
Preaching in the early Church was understood as the living voice of the apostolic tradition — not merely information transfer but the event of God's word encountering its hearers. The homily developed from the synagogue practice of Scriptural exposition and was a regular feature of Sunday worship from at least Justin Martyr's time. Origen elevated the homily to a form of spiritual theology; John Chrysostom ("Golden-mouth") was the ancient church's most celebrated preacher, whose verse-by-verse homiletical output on Matthew, John, Paul's letters, and Acts remains the most extensive patristic example of biblical preaching.
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What the primary sources show
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Seest thou the greatness of their ministry? Seest thou the dignity of apostles?" — Chrysostom elevates apostolic preaching as a commission of supreme dignity, centering the church's proclamation on the nearness of God's kingdom over all temporal concerns.
"He did many miracles that He might commend God in Himself, some of which...are contained in the evangelic Scripture" — Augustine sees preaching as the continuation of Christ's self-commendation through Scripture, where proclaimed miracles draw all nations from idolatry to knowledge of the Father.